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Facebook introduces Shazam-like feature for music, TV

Look out Shazam-- Facebook is gunning for you! In another new feature for the social network -- at least the second announced this week -- Facebook said Wednesday that its Facebook app would soon be able to identify songs and television shows by only using sound. The popular mobile app Shazam pioneered the ability to identify songs by "hearing" a snippet of music.

The new Facebook audio feature would be an extension of the feelings and activity sharing option Facebook launched last year. Users could share their favorite song or let their friends know which television show they're watching, without typing a word. Instead, once they enable the feature, they could just tap their phone's microphone to catch whatever song is playing or what's on television at that moment.

If they share music, their friends can hear a 30-second preview of the song, and if they share a television show, their status update will highlight the specific season and episode they're watching. However, Re/code reported that the number of songs and television shows available appeared limited.

For diehard television fans out there, don't worry -- Facebook says the TV show status update will not contain spoilers.

Facebook stresses that its newest feature is optional and users can tap the audio icon to turn it on or off. The company also says that it cannot identify background noise or conversations -- sounds are only used to find a match and are never stored.

As noted by Re/code, this new feature might also be part of an attempt by Facebook to challenge Twitter's domination over the so-called "second screen" and engage more users while they're watching TV. A 2013 Nielsen study found evidence of a direct correlation between Twitter volume and television ratings.

Over the past year, Facebook has undergone some dramatic changes. With Twitter-like features such as hashtags, embeddable posts, verified profiles and FB Newswire for journalists, this is just one more jab in the battle for social superiority.

The new audio recognition feature will be made available on iOS and Android apps "in the coming weeks," Facebook says.